What Do We Do At Midnight?
by 263Adder
Summary: The last holiday of the year looks set to be a flop when Reginald won't let the children stay up for midnight. Luckily Five has something planned. Series: Paper Chain Part 7.


"Father?" Luther started tentatively. He was their nominated spokesperson.

Sir Reginald replied tersely. "Yes, Number One."

"I – we were..."

"Spit it out, boy."

"Yes, sir. We were wondering if we could extend our bedtime tonight? As it's New Year's Eve?"

"Your bedtime is at nine-thirty and it will remain at that time for the foreseeable future, regardless of the date. That is all." He dismissed.

Luther shot the other children an apologetic look but heeded Reginald's instruction without argument. They all filed from the study, following their mother upstairs. Only when they were out of Reginald's earshot did Allison begin to complain.

"Luther, you could at least have _tried _to argue our case."

"Yeah, 'cause that would have made all the difference." Diego groaned.

"Good night, children." Grace bade them, leaving them alone to change into their pyjamas and prepare themselves for bed. She would return shortly to ensure they were all in their rooms with the lights off, obeying Reginald's rules.

Allison waited until their Mom left before resuming. "Well, _I'm _staying up. I bet someone will let off fireworks around here, I'll watch them from my window."

"Lucky you. My stupid room overlooks the courtyard, I won't see a thing." Klaus grumbled.

"You can sneak into my room. It's not like I'll be doing anything." Allison said, giving Luther a significant stare. Their original plans were evidently off.

"Great. Anyone else up for sneaking around?" Klaus asked brightly as they all gathered around the bathrooms.

"Sure." Diego agreed.

"I don't know guys, if we _all_ leave our rooms we might get caught. It'll be too noisy, someone will hear us." Luther protested.

"Don't be a pussy, Luther." Diego rebuked.

"It's impossible to sneak into Allison's room without getting caught, Diego." Luther defended hotly. "Her door squeaks every time and Mum can hear it a mile off."

"Not up to the challenge?" Diego continued, enjoying riling Number One up. "I guess your stealth skills are lacking. I can give you some remedial lessons if you want?"

"Eleven thirty." Allison cut in, rolling her eyes at the boy's antics. "I'll see whoever turns up then." She sniffed before shutting herself in her room. The door squealed as she closed it.

Diego winked at Luther, as he went into one of the free bathrooms. "See you later."

Luther's scowl deepened, and he slammed the door with a bang when he took the other toilet. Luckily the hinges withstood the heavy blow.

"What do you think Ben?" Klaus proposed, sidling up to his side. "Could be fun. You know what we're meant to do at midnight right? – we'll need even numbers."

Vanya looked at Five questioningly but he resolutely kept his eyes forward.

"I don't know Klaus. Training was pretty rough this afternoon." Ben sighed, his face still white even though their session had finished hours ago. Vanya rested a hand on his arm, worried about him, and he tried to shoot her a reassuring smile.

Diego exited the bathroom and went to his room; Ben ducked in.

"Well," Klaus sighed, "I guess we won't be seeing you two?"

"Why?" Vanya asked. Five stayed silent.

"Well for one, _you_ have no stealth training so you're not gonna get anywhere without getting caught. And two, _Five_, being the party pooper that he is, won't want to go and you two are connected at the hip – _don't forget_, we share a wall young grasshopper, so don't try to deny it. Our walls are _thin_."

"If Vanya wants to go to your stupid _party_, I'll get her there," Five intoned, "but if too many of us crowd in one place it'll just increase our chances of getting caught."

"Vanya wants to go, right?" Klaus said, looking at her optimistically.

She thought about it for a moment. While she enjoyed opportunities to spend time with her siblings, Allison hadn't really invited her. And she knew from experience that Klaus' invitations weren't always sincere. Plus he and Five had a point, she might ruin it for the others if she tried to go. No, it was safer to stay away.

"I think I'll pass this year, Klaus." She replied, her heart constricting when Klaus' face fell. "As Five says, we might get caught if too many of us go. But I hope you have fun. And, have a Happy New Year..."

Vanya trailed off as, while she spoke, Luther left the other bathroom and Klaus hurried away from the pair to claim it.

"Goodbye then." She mumbled.

"Don't worry," Five said, tugging one of her braids for attention. "We'll celebrate the new year. In style."

"You have something in mind?" Vanya asked.

"Of course." He promised. He pushed her towards the free bathroom as Ben headed for his room. "Go on, I'll see you later. Okay?"

"Yeah." She grinned, hurrying to the toilet with renewed energy.

* * *

Wiping uncharacteristically damp hands on his trousers, Five picked the comb back up and set to work on his hair. He tried to remember the last time he had perspired from nerves and concluded he was under gunfire at the time.

After his hair was back under control and his teeth were scrubbed clean, Five retreated to his bedroom where he had to wait impatiently for half an hour before he could chance enacting his plan. He picked up one of his notebooks, believing he could spend the time working on some equations, but he couldn't focus on the numbers and ended up more stressed than when he'd started. Deciding to quietly pace the floor instead, he picked up the figurine on his desk to look at as he moved. Vanya's Christmas present to him – the statuette of Mr Pennycomb.

The detail on the figurine's face was getting worn already from the number of times Five had run his fingers over it. He would have to stop doing it soon, but it had turned into a habit of his to examine the gift every evening until it was safe to return to Vanya's side.

Sometimes it was a little overwhelming, how much Five cared for Vanya. Until a few years ago he was always happy to have her as his best friend and looked forward to spending time with her but now, when they were apart, he almost felt manic. The day that they could leave and no longer have to sneak around couldn't come soon enough. He wished they could just go to bed, without all of the theatrics – no more concerns about whether they would get caught on one of Reginald's security cameras or what the likelihood was of one of his teammates snitching on them if they were caught together. Allison and Luther would certainly offer them up with glee, Five was convinced of it.

When the time was right, he pulled on his coat and jumped downstairs. First, he checked Reginald's study, ensuring the old man was still in there and not waiting for him in the camera room. He went there next, to loop the two corridors he would need in a few minutes. It was always a risk doing this. One night, Grace might do her rounds and Reginald would notice the next day that she wasn't on the tape. Four years was a long time to wait, and Five knew there was a strong likelihood he and Vanya would get caught at some point. What Reginald would do if he found out how much time they spent together, Five tried not to think about.

The logical thing to do would be to minimise their interactions, keep their distance for a few years until it was safe and they could leave and be together then; yet, he couldn't do that. The thought of spending the night back in his own bedroom, alone, felt wholly wrong to him. Five needed their nights together just as much as Vanya did, he was confident about that, and wouldn't leave her unless she told him to go. He couldn't leave her alone any more than she usually was – spending her days with only a few snatches of human conversation between the long hours spent solely in the company of a robot nanny. They needed each other and, the older they got, the more Five understood _how_ they needed each other. He would be her best friend forever but, if she let him, he would like to be more too.

Wiping his palms dry again, Five fiddled with the monitors until the hallways were on their loop.

Sending up a silent prayer to a God he didn't even believe in, Five jumped up to Vanya's room.

She was sat on the end of her bed waiting for him in her pyjamas. He should have given her a hint about his plan, she'd have to change now.

"You need to put more clothes on." Five told her quietly after she'd hopped off the bed to stand beside him. "It's freezing out there."

"We're going out?" Vanya asked nervously. "But what about..."

"I've looped the cameras, we're fine." He assured her. "Besides, we're not going far."

"The roof?"

Five nodded, moving to grab Vanya's jumper from the closet. "Here, just put your sweater on over the top." He said, eager to get her moving. His palms were sweating so much he wouldn't have been surprised if her top had slipped clean out of his hands. Somehow he passed it over and even managed a laugh when, in her eagerness, Vanya's jumper got caught on her arm. He put her coat down on the bed so he could help her, tugging the sweater down and pulling her hair out from under the collar.

"I brought a scarf too." Five said, pulling it from his pocket and offering it up.

"I have my own scarf, you know." Vanya smiled, accepting it anyway.

Before they left, Five shoved Vanya's pillows under her duvet so it would look like she was underneath – a precaution for if Grace came to check up on the children before they had returned. His teammates' decision to ask Reginald to stay up late had risked his plan; since Reginald knew they wanted to stay up, he might check on them more frequently to ensure they hadn't snuck out.

Offering Vanya a hand, ignoring her questioning look at the bed, Five led her out of the room and along the corridor to the roof. It wasn't time yet for the others to try meeting in Allison's room so they were unimpeded on their way.

Vanya shivered when Five opened the door for her, but the cold was quickly forgotten when she saw Five's preparations.

Five just wanted to close his eyes, regretting nearly everything that had brought him to that moment; sure that Vanya was going to find it too much and make her excuses to leave. Even though he'd been slowly increasing his affections over the year and she hadn't spurned a single one yet, Five was certain his luck was about to end.

"Five!" She exclaimed, making him jump.

"Shh," he hastily replied, "someone will hear us."

"You did all this?" Vanya said, ignoring his concerns and walking forward to inspect his work.

"Yeah."

"It's amazing."

Turning a beaming smile towards him, Five experienced a wash of relief in response. He suddenly didn't understand why he'd felt so nervous.

Vanya pointed to the blanket he'd laid over the concrete ground in an attempt to make the evening slightly more comfortable. "You brought food?" She asked, eyeing the basket that weighed the throw down. He'd grabbed it from the attic, having no clue why it was there. He could hardly imagine Sir Reginald Hargreeves ever fancying a picnic.

"Yeah. Although I was only able to bring peanut butter..."

"...and marshmallow sandwiches." Vanya grinned.

"I brought some chocolate too." Five added, knowing which of the two offerings Vanya would prefer. "It was all I could bring without making Grace suspicious."

"It's great, Five." She enthused, heading towards the basket. Sitting down, Vanya fastened her attention on Five. "Are we eating now?"

"I hope so." Five sighed, joining her side. He'd only had one serving of casserole for dinner when he usually went through three and could feel his stomach churning in a demand for more food.

Laying on his side, Five ate the first sandwich in a few bites while Vanya nibbled on a large chocolate bar. He'd swiped it from a convenience store a couple of missions ago, knowing Vanya would be thrilled with it. Given how much she loved chocolate, it was a pity she rarely received any.

"We won't stay out until midnight. I'm fairly certain someone will do a round of our rooms." Five said between bites, taking his time with his second sandwich.

"Oh, that's a shame," Vanya said, sounding no less happy. "Is that why we snuck out early?"

"Yeah. I'll wait until the hour has passed then come back to your room. Okay?"

"If you're sure it'll be safe." She agreed around another mouthful. "I don't want you to get caught."

"I won't be." Five said confidently. "I'm not stupid; not like the others. One of them will definitely be found out of bed tonight. It's just a question of which one."

"Klaus?" Vanya suggested, wrinkling her nose. She didn't like the idea of Klaus receiving another punishment, especially as she knew what kind he would receive.

"Probably Luther and Allison." Five sighed. "Which is fine because they're the _golden children_. The old man will just rearrange their schedules again to keep them apart for a few weeks."

It would be worse if it were them who Reginald found tonight.

"Which is why we can't risk staying out late," Vanya said solemnly. "I get it Five."

He smirked at her. "Obviously. Because _we're t_he smart ones."

"Are we going to do a countdown, anyway?" She smirked.

"If you like, we can do it at eleven." Five agreed, his eyes rising to discreetly glance at the mistletoe he'd hung on a string between two aerials. It dangled directly above them but he wasn't ready to point it out yet.

"How long do we have?"

"Ten minutes."

Vanya ate her chocolate with more vigour, offering him the half-eaten bar when he'd finished his sandwiches. He took a large bite but gave the rest back, assuring Vanya he'd got the chocolate solely for her.

"Five?" Vanya asked quietly, as Five shuffled to lie on his back. It was a clear night and he could make out some stars in the sky.

"Yeah?"

"What did Klaus mean before? About what we're meant to do at midnight?"

He patted the blanket beside him. "Lay down here with me."

Vanya put the last few squares of chocolate back in the basket. Laying down, she melded herself to Five's side. She rested her head on his chest instead of looking up as he'd hoped she would.

"Well?" She pressed, wrapping an arm around his middle.

"Look up."

"Is that mistletoe?" Vanya asked, squinting at the plant that dangled over their heads.

"Yeah. I snagged some before Pogo and Grace cleared it all out. I'm surprised it survived this long, actually." Five said as nonchalantly as he could.

"We're meant to kiss at midnight?" She said, a thread of amusement in her voice. "No wonder Klaus was so insistent Ben meet him tonight."

"It's not actually midnight." Five said, his arm willingly following Vanya's tug so she could glance at his watch.

"We only have a minute left."

"Until eleven."

"Until _our_ midnight." Vanya corrected, propping herself up on an elbow. Her hair fell to the side of his face, blocking out everything except her.

"Still not midnight."

"It'll be midnight somewhere."

"Vanya..."

She was still looking at his watch. "Ten...nine..."

"You don't have to..."

"Eight...seven...six..."

"I want to though." Five said, threading his hands through her hair and kissing her before the pointless countdown was complete.

She hummed in surprise but before he could back off her hand found his face and pulled him closer.

When they broke away, he was able to resist for half a second before leaning in to give her another kiss.

"Happy New Year," Vanya mumbled against his lips.

"It's not the new year yet." Five snorted, kissing her again.

Vanya tugged on his arm again to look at his watch.

The look of distaste that crossed her face told him it was time they were heading back.

"I'll be back before one, okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. He used the arm she had a hold of to pull her up to her feet. When they were level with each other, Vanya kissed him again – blushing slightly as she did.

"Help me with the blanket."

Packing everything away, Five jumping to grab the mistletoe, they bundled themselves back downstairs into Vanya's room. He helped her out of her coat and jumper, urging her to get some sleep.

"I'll wait up." She promised, pulling back the blankets to get into bed.

"No, if they come to check on you you'll get in trouble if you're not asleep. And it's no good saying you'll pretend. You're a terrible liar."

He ducked to avoid the balled up scarf she threw at him. "Your aim could use some work too."

"You can go off people you know," Vanya said dryly, looking up at him with pursed lips.

Five smirked at her, lightly pushing her back and pulling the duvet over her. Kissing her again, thrilled at the ability to do so after waiting for so long, he wished her a good night.

"Wake me up when you get back." She urged.

"Fine."

He jumped to the camera room. While he knew he should leave it on a loop to enable his teammates' respective sneaking around, if they got caught the cameras would lead back to him. After all, he was the only person capable of getting into the locked room, so he would be the only suspect. And, while he didn't _want_ his siblings' to get caught, he wanted to protect Vanya more.

It's not like they asked him to do it for them anyway and they knew the risk of wandering around the manor after lights out.

Once he was back in his room, he drew up the covers and waited impatiently for the next two hours to pass so he could get back to Vanya and their bed.

Five couldn't remember the last time he'd climbed into a cold bed, Vanya having always warmed it up before his arrival, and he couldn't say he enjoyed it. Even if his room was bigger, Vanya's felt more like home.

Drifting in and out of sleep, he came to a few moments before his door creaked open and Pogo came in to check on him.

"Sorry to disturb you, Master Five." Pogo apologised, seeing his eyes twitch. "Happy New Year."

He grumbled in reply, waiting until his door closed again to slip out of bed.

Pausing for a few more minutes, he jumped to the camera room to see where all the adults were and saw they were retreating back downstairs, with a couple of children walking sulkily behind them.

He landed in Vanya's room a moment later, pulling back the duvet and crowding in behind her. She stirred groggily for a minute, before glancing back. "Hey, Five."

Kissing the side of her head, he wished her a Happy New Year.

Grinning, she twisted to kiss him on the mouth before returning to her side. "Happy New Year, Five," Vanya mumbled into her pillow, soon falling back to sleep.

Five didn't think there was a more perfect way start to the new year as he pulled her closer and fell asleep beside her.

* * *

Day seven! The last fic is gifted to Ariazu. Thank you for all your lovely comments on all my TUA works, they always make me super happy and I'm thrilled to have such a dedicated reader! You're great and I hope you like the last story in the series.

All done! Well, for this run. I might add to the series in the future (actually already have some ideas) but for now I've got to work on my Fiveya Secret Santa fic, update my power swap story then get back to Then & Now series. Busy, busy, busy. As always, let me know your thoughts - I've got a lot of writing to do so any comments of encouragement are appreciated! And, as this may be my last post before the holiday, best wishes to everyone for Happy Holidays and a great New Year!


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